Cultivator



(No Model.) v 2 Sheets-Shet 1.

J. F. SMITH.

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No. 354,260. I Patented Deo. 14,-1886.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES F. SMITH, OF DANVILLE, ILLIXOIS.

CULTIVATOR.

SPECEFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 354,260, dated December 14, 1886.

' Application filed June 12, 1886. Serial No. 204,994. (No model.)

To all whom, it 17mg concern.'

l cultivator-beain-connecting casting D. Simi-V Be it known that I, JAuEs F. SMITH, a citilar beam-connecting castings and couplers, C,

zen of the United States, residing at Danville, in the county of Vermilion, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cultivators, of which the following` is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention has relation to certain irnprovements upon my invention for which United States Patent No. 385,6i4, dated February 9, 1886, was granted; and the objects of the improvements are, among other things, to enable the operator of the cultivator to force the same to its work, in order that it shall be capable of use in the place of breaking-up plows-that is, to work satisfactorily and at desired depths in hard soiland also to dispose of the shovels in such a mannerthat they will take into the soil at each side of a row of corn, whereby the machine may be used to cultivate planted ground, and, further, to adapt the machine for use as a secder and stalk-cuty ter, all as hereinafter more fully described.A

The novel features of theinvention, together with the advantages secured thereby, will be specifically described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring tothe drawings, Figure 1 is a plan, and Fig. 2 a side elevation, of my cultivator with my improvements embodied therein. Figs. 3 to 9 are details hereinafter described.

Like letters indicate like parts in all the iigures ofthe drawings.

A represents the axle, upon which are mounted the wheels A', one of which has in its hub a setscrew, A, whereby said wheel may be connected rigidly with the axle, so as to cause the latter to revolve when desired. Upon the axle,between the wheels, are mounted a series of castings, eachbored longitudinally for the passage of the axle, and each other- Wise formed for the attachment or connection of certain parts of the cultivator. Of such castings those indicated by B (see Fig. 7 are provided with projecting rigid arms B', to which the braces B2 of the pole B3 of thecultivator are attached,preferably upon the inside of the arms B. Those castings indicated by the letter C are divided on longitudinal lines and secured upon the axle by bolts C G2, the

latter serving for the pivotal connection of the,

are arranged upon the axle outside of the wheels.

One feature of my improvements consists of a casting, E, bored for the reception of and mounted upon the axle, and arranged outside of and next to the wheel. cumferentially grooved, as at E', to form a seat for a bifurea-ted standard, F, which supports a-seed-dropping mechanism comprising a hopper, F', from which there depends atthe front a third brace or standard, F2, which is secured by a bolt, F3, to the upper surface of the pole B3. rlhe shaft F1 of the seed-dropping mechanism projects from one end ofthe box F', and is provided with a. clutch, F5, operated by a lever, F6, these elements being of any wellknown construction, as may also be theseeddropping mechanism. A sprocketwheel, F7, is rigidly secured to the shaft Ff. anda chain, F8, extends therefrom to the sprocket F9, arranged on the axle A, whereby when the setscrew A2 in the hub of the wheel A is set firmly against the axle A said axle receives motion from the wheel, and said motion is conveyed by the chain Fs and the sprocket F7 to the seed-dropping mechanism; The latter is, it will be readily seen, in its nature an attachment to my machine, and is capable of being thrown into and out of operation by the clutch and lever described and by the set-screw in the hub of the wheel, so that by the construction and devices mentioned the cultivator is transformed into aseeding-machine, by which, after the seeds are dropped, they may be covered by the following shovels of the cultivator, unless the same should be elevated from contact with the ground by devices hereinafter described.

Upon the outside of the arms B of the castings B, I secure apivotedhanger, G, (see Figs. 2 and 7,) by means of a bolt, Gf, the hanger being extended to the front and provided with a break-pin, G2, which is an ordinary wooden peg passed through an aperture in the forward extension of the. arm and into a similar aperture formed in the arm B. The lower end of the arm G is adapted, by means of a bolt or screw, G3, to receive and retain the hanger G* of any ordinary stallrcutting mechanism, G, having its shaft mounted in bearings in the This casting is cir- IOO ` of a chain, G7, is connected with a similar wheel mounted on the axle A. lines, Figs. l and 2.)

By reason of the break-pin G2, should the stalk-cutting mechanism come in contact with a rock, stump, or other hard substance, the

(See dotted said pin would break, and thus allow the stalk-` cutting mechanism to swing to the rear on its pivot G and pass over the obstruction without Vinjury to.its mechanism. l

It will be seen that one of the wheels A is rigidly secured to the aXle A by means of a set-screw, A2, and that motion will be rconveyed to the rotary cutters G5 through the sprocketwheels and chain, and that by means of this mechanism standing stubble or stalks may be cut as the cultivator is drawn over the ground.

Of those castings which are mounted upon the axle, the central one (indicated by the letter H, see Figs. l and 8) serves as the means of connection for the pole B3. Upon the pole is mounted a beam, H', upon which the seatspring and seat IIl H3 are mounted. Upon the same beam there is secured a notched segment, I, (see Figs. l and 2,) the notches I of which are intended to receive the pawl I", pivotally supported in the plow-lifting lever I, which is provided with a cross-bar, I, against which the foot or feet of the operator is or are placed when the plows are to be elevated, in a manner hereinafter described.

In this instance a bolt, Il", is passed through the lever I, which is bifurcated, to embrace the beam H' and the bracket H4, arranged between it and the pole B3. Said bolt serves as the pivot of the lever, and the latter is eX- tended rearwardly and provided with a crossbar, IG, which passes beneath the beams J of the two adjacent sections or series of the shovels employed in the cultivator. These beams J are each downwardly and forwardly curved, and are supported by means of pivots J', the shovel-arms J'l carrying shovels J 3. Breakpins J4 are pivoted in each of the shovel-arms for the usual well-known purposeanamely, to prevent breakage of the machine. Another cross-bar, Il, is secured to the end of the lifting-lever and arranged to lie above and across the two shovel-beams J and opposite the crossbar I. A

K is a bar extending along under the entire series of shovel-beams, and is connected to said beams in the following manner and by the following means:

L represents a casting having at each end thereof a recess, L', for the reception of a shovel-beam, J. The inner walls of these recesses are perforated, as at L2, for the passage of a bolt, L3, whereby the beams J are held parallel with each other, and by means of a u lug, L4, depending from the bottom of the casting L and passing through the bar K, said castings L are secured to said bar in a manner which will permit of a lateral movement of each pair of shovel-beams about the lug L4 and the pivot C2 of each of the beam-castings D. In-the castings L, (shown in Fig. 1 as connecting the inner two pairs of shovel-beams with each other and with the bar K,) I have provided 'at their upper surfaces a recess, L5, (see Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 8,) for the reception 'ot' a locking and lifting lever, M, which is pivoted upon the rod L3 and extended downwardly in rear of and forwardly under the -bar K, as at M. (See Fig. 2.)

Under each ofthe castings Lthere are formed in the bar K a series of holes, K', into either of which the lug L" ofthe casting L may be inserted whenever the lever IVI is raised upon its pivot to disengage its lug M' from the bar K, and to raise the casting above the bar so as to permit of the introduction of its Vlug into any one of the holes K therein. In this manner the two inner pairs of shovels may be spread apart, so as to cultivate vstanding corn, and, if desired, levers M may be provided in all of the castings L employed in the machine, whereby all of the shovels of the machine may be adjusted and lifted from the ground, as desired.

At N, I mount upon the bar K Scrapers, which,by means ofsprings N', are normallyheld out of contact with the wheels A', but which, being accessible to the operator when in the seat H, may be by means of the foot thrown into contact with the wheel to remove the dirt from the same when desired. It is also apparent that when in the seat H3 a foot of the operator may be pressed against the crossbar IA1 of the lifting-lever I, while the heel of the operator may raise the pawl I2 out of connection with thenotches I of the segment I, and the said lever may be forced to the front, whereby the entire series of shovels may be elevated out of the ground by means of the cross-bar If'. On the other hand, by means of IOO IIO

the cross-bar Il, the said shovels may be forcibly retained at a desired depth in the ground, and held there by means of the pawl I2, the crossbar IT being arranged so as to rest above and upon the beams J, as hereinbefore described.

Having described my invention and its operation, what I claim is- 1. In a' cultivator of the class described, the combination of the axle-frame provided with the sprocket-wheel F9, the casting H, thepole B3, the castings B, and the grooved castings E, adapted and arranged to support and operate the seed-dropping mechanism, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination of the axle A,the wheels A', the castings B, having the arms B', the casting H, the pole B3, secured thereto, the braces B2, the divided casting C, the pivotallyconnected castings D, the shovel-beams J, the:

bar K, and the lifting-lever I3, having the bar I, and the paWl and sector, substantially as specified.

4. In a cultivator of the class described, an axle having loosely mounted castings thereon for coupling therewith thelshovel-beams and pole and the braces of the pole, and provided with a sprocket, in. combination with the castings B B', a depending arm, as G, pivoted to the brace-arms, as at G', provided with a breaking-pin on the forward extension of said arm, as at G2, and adapted, substantially as described, for the connection of stalk-cutting mechanism, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. The combination of the axle A, provided With the sprocket F9, thc casting B, provided with the arm B and the arm G, and adapted to operate the chain Gl, and a stalk-cutting mechanism, substantially as specified.

6. In a cnltivator ofthe class described, the

With the recesses L L5, the perforations L, and

the lug Lt, of the perforated bar K and the locking-lever N, substantially as specified. A

In testimony whereof I afx my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

JirMns F. SMITH.

Witnesses:

S. JAMEs McKEE, A. XV. HEINLY. 

